Something terrible happened to a person - really terrible and the other person hurt like mad because of it and decided that there cannot possibly be a God, so they lost their faith.
What can be done about this situation?
2007-12-20 01:24:48 · 34 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I don't believe in God. I'm an atheist. I'm not preaching to the person that it happened to. I'm just curious to know the answers.
2007-12-20 01:51:20 · update #1
Faith is believing in something because someone told you to believe it.
It is not belief based upon anything real or veryfiable.
In the rest of all your beliefs you do not do this.
You believe something based upon evidence, facts, things you can verify.
Why would you want to have faith?
Of what use is it?
Believe in things because you can verify that they are real.
2007-12-20 01:29:33 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 2⤋
Terrible things happen to people. Do you think that something worse HASN'T happened to someone else? Just because something bad happens and it's not your fault doesn't mean it's G-d's FAULT. G-d is G-d. He is simultaneously good and bad and everything in between.
Losing faith is like the darkness of night. People can get lost in the dark, but I think it's best to remember that the light of day can bring many things - hope, truth, a pathway back to G-d, and renewed faith. It's like, even in the darkness, G-d is there, faith is there. Those of strong faith find their way through the night because they know day will come again (even those with strong faith can get lost too).
In order to regain faith, you have to think that you never lost really lost it. You may have misplaced it with another emotion, perhaps despair or hatred or depression, or anger. Faith is present even in the moments when you cannot feel it.
If this person can think of one tiny reason to believe in G-d, then you'll know they haven't lost their faith, just misplaced it. It's easy to say that you "give up on G-d" or "don't believe in Him because he wouldn't let this happen..." It's harder to just believe that He is always there for you, which in all honesty, no one else in existence has ever been able to say.
What can be done about this situation? you ask... Well, it's not a math problem. There aren't any recipes to make faith. It's called faith for a reason. If it was called a chair, you could find a chair and see the chair and be unable to deny that it is a chair. If the chair stood by and watched as something bad happened to you and did nothing, would you get mad at the chair? No, because It's just a chair. Instead, if after the terrible thing happened you were able to gather yourself up and look at the chair and see the detail in the grains of wood, the love that the carpenter (no pun intended) put into carving the chair, the precious memories made in the worn areas of the old chair, would you not be contented within yourself, even for a small space of time?
You have to work at it. No one DOESN'T want faith. People are constantly looking for faith in others, in themselves, in G-d.... so start small. Looking for answers in untangible things might help. Try scheduling some time to watch a sunrise or sunset. Is it less beautiful because you have/don't have faith?
Go to a pet store and play with a puppy or kitten - better yet, volunteer to help at a rescue center. Upgrade this and volunteer at a women's outreach center, or shelter for the homeless. You'll see how quickly you regain faith. If you only see the bad things, you are missing the point. Yes, bad things happen. Will you continue the cycle and perpetuate non-belief, or will you rise to the challenge of redefining your life through new, faith filled eyes?
2007-12-20 02:01:01 · answer #2 · answered by kissmehrass216 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The person you talked about simply didn't see the lesson through the pain so the only way they think they can find comfort is to blame somebody and apparently God was the convenient one to blame. That is so sad to me as is a lot of the other answers you've received. I can understand that a person doesn't believe in God, but what I hurt over are the ones that are so evil about it. If you knew someone that believed in his lucky rock would you try to convince them that the rock is just a rock? Are you then proud to see that it worked as you watch this person crumble in pain because the magic is gone and they feel empty? Weather it is a rock or God, allow people to find their comfort and their faith. Take them to the place that gives them that. This person needs to remember their personal relationship with God if that is what they had before. This is not Heaven and things here aren't perfect. It's all about the lessons. This person is confused on their understanding of their relationship with God. He is not the punisher and this person needs to do a little more thinking. Sometimes it's hard to admit that we might not always get His message but this doesn't mean it's not there. Maybe you could tell them something like what I wrote. I hope I could help. Take care.
2007-12-20 03:04:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes it's hard for us to understand why some things happen. That's because we do not understand the full deepness of God and of the things that are happening around us in a spiritual world.
Terrible things that happen doesn't mean there's not a compassive God looking to us. God is looking to this person. And was looking to the one who suffered such terrible thing.
First of all, it is necessary to pray for this people. To ask God to take out all the madness and sadness from these hearts. To heal the heart and give the peace.
Depending on what happen, there's no words you can say to make the person feel better. In these cases, they really need the presence of the Holy Spirit to comfort them.
What hapens is what have to hapen. God has a whole new life prepared for us, where there'll be no pain or difficulty. And He asks us to put our hope on that life, not in this one.
Thus, He did not say we were not suffer here. We're all under the possibility to suffer good and bad things; righteous and unrighteous, good and bad people are under the sun of this earth and can suffer something bad any momment.
But when we are in the new land that God has prepared to us, we'll be much better.
If you don't have the possibility to talk this good news to the person for any reason, even because of his angriness, keep praying!
I'm sure God is the one who will show them. Just trust Him!!
Hugs.
2007-12-20 01:47:45 · answer #4 · answered by Rodrigo H 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
This exact same thing happened to my Grandmother when she lost her husband, brother, son, best friend and her dog all in one year. Her faith was always more than 'religion', she had a friendship with the God she believed in. After the very difficult first stages of her grieving, she realised that her angry claims of God not existing anymore were not as true as she thought; she was just really peed off with God for letting all these terrible things happen to her. A few years have passed since then, she has now re-kindled her friendship with the God she never stopped loving or believing in; she realises now that she just ran away from him for a while. She also realises that it wasn't God who caused these things to happen - he was actually there all the time wanting to help her through it.
The very famous 'Footprints in the Sand' verse helped her a great deal, if you haven't seen it before, look it up on Google, it might be a help regarding your own question.
Take care.
2007-12-20 01:43:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Faith comes from experience. If the number 8 bus ran on time I'd use it, I'd have some faith in it but it never does. So you have to look around and see what you can trust. Maybe you can trust yourself to some extent. Maybe you have a friend you can trust.
You automatically wouldn't accept someone as your friend if they just tried to humiliate you so why accept a God who "pulls rank" to get his beliefs accepted and tells you you are a sinner.
You know already what is right and what is wrong. It's wrong to kill, lie and steal, its wrong to damage your mind with too many intoxicating chemicals so don't have faith in anyone who recommends it! Don't let theism "imasculate" your judgement!
2007-12-20 07:41:58 · answer #6 · answered by Aryacitta 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many things can cause people to lose what faith they may have. Among them are the traumas and trials of everyday life. Many attribute their loss of faith to the appalling increase in violence and distress in our world. They reason that if there is an almighty God, why doesn’t he put an end to all this suffering? We live in what the bible calls "critical times, hard to deal with." This is when our faith is put to the test and shows us what we are TRULY made of. If our faith is strong, it will comfort and support us during a time of hardship. Then, having passed one trial successfully, we are strengthened to meet any further test. The experience will have demonstrated what our faith can do for us. Psalm 72: 12-14. God does care about you. A God of love can never be the cause or blame for evil done to us. James 1: 13. Remember some trials result from our own imperfections. Too, remember Satan and his demons aren't gonna make it easy for us. He wants us to lose our integrity in God. 1John 5:19. Keep praying, you will make it through this trial. It will make you stronger to withstand and endure that next trial. Keep the faith......
2007-12-20 01:54:40 · answer #7 · answered by I_B_WHO_I_IS 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
So sad that something terrible had to happen to make a person realise there is no god. A lot of pain could have been spared with the application of reason and logic.
2007-12-20 01:32:03 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
What happened is just more evidence of a non-existent "God." An "All-Loving" omniscient god could not possibly let sh*t like this happen. It would be contradictory. How can one believe in an omniscient god who acts as if he is impotent and insensitive as to allow such sorrow to befall humans? I extend my sympathy to this person, and for this person's sake, here's my fervent hope that his lost faith stays lost.
2007-12-20 01:45:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Come along side them as a christian. Explain God gave us free will. The other person that did the hurting, is not a true believer. They used their free will.
Try to look at the final end of the problem. Maybe by this experience, the hurt person can help others with the same experience. God is trying to make that person stronger to help Him.
2007-12-20 01:37:03 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋